Sunday, October 6
Dallas, Texas
All Day
USC
vs
SMU Trinity Forest Invitational
Players Mentioned
/ Men's Golf
/ Men's Golf
/ Men's Golf
/ Men's Golf
/ Men's Golf
/ Men's Golf
Photo by: Slate Mitchell
USC Men’s Golf Heads to Trinity Forest Invitational
October 04, 2024 | Men's Golf
The Trojans will look to reestablish their momentum after an 11th place finish at the William H. Tucker Invitational
LOS ANGELES – USC men's golf travels to Dallas to compete in a 15-team tournament at the Trinity Forest Invitational, which will be held from Sunday, Oct. 6, through Tuesday, Oct. 8, at the Trinity Forest Golf Club.
COMPETITIVE SLATE (15): Furman, San Francisco, UTSA, *SMU, UTRGV, UTA, Louisiana Lafayette, Rice, Louisiana Tech, LMU, North Texas, NC State, UNLV, Abilene Christian, USC
*Host School
WHERE: Trinity Forest G.C. – Dallas, Texas (Par 72, 7,617 yards).
WHEN: The three-day event will begin Sunday, Oct. 6, the second round will be held on Monday, Oct. 7. The third round will be played on Tuesday, Oct. 8.
LIVE SCORING: Live results can be found on Scoreboard (Clippd) here.
LINEUP: Antonio Safa
Through two tournaments, Safa sits No. 1 in most categories for the Trojans as he finished second on the squad in the Southern Dunes Invitational and first at the William H. Tucker Invitational. The junior missed a top-25 finish by one stroke last tournament as he was tied for 26th at four-over par. Through two tournaments, Safa is tied for team lead in stroke average at 71.83, and rounds of par or better (4) and leads the Trojans in birdies (23).
Gavin Aurilia
Aurilia opened the season in career-defining fashion, setting his single-round career best (65) and posting his best career tournament finish (runner-up) at the Southern Dunes Invitational. The senior had a challenging second tournament as he tied for 54th with teammates Jerge and Dominguez. Aurilia still ranks first or is tied with his teammates for first in several categories: stroke average (71.83), rounds in the 60s (two), and top ten finishes (one).
Jack Jerge
Jerge continues to move up the lineup in his third career start for USC. Jerge finished third in the lineup at the last two tournaments and has been a consistent performer for the Trojans. The sophomore is tied for the lead in rounds of par or better at four and has a stroke average of 72.50.
Jack Buchanan
Buchanan is one of two freshmen competing for the first time in the lineup, as he served as an individual competitor at the last two tournaments. Buchanan finished 31st at the Southern Dunes Invitational and tied for 66th at the William H. Tucker Invitational. He has a stroke average of 73.83 through two events and has produced a round under par twice.
Tyler Greenspahn
Greenspahn will make his first start in the lineup alongside Buchanan, and this will be his second tournament this season. Greenspahn did not travel for the William H. Tucker Invitational but served as an individual competitor at the Southern Dunes Invitational. During that event, he was the top individual amongst the three USC sent, as he was tied for 24th with teammate Nicolas Dominguez.
QUOTABLE:
Hear from head coach Mark Hankins -
"We didn't perform up to our ability last week at New Mexico so we concentrated on competition this week, had a pre-qualifier and a qualifier to get these guys ready. We played golf courses similar to the tournament course and will be ready to post some competitive scores this week individually and as a team. When you get there its about adapting to the golf course, trying to figure out exactly what's going to help us post good scores. Our team depth is a strength, they have to play well to stay in the lineup and we are excited to have another great event this week to improve on our last outing."
On Jack Buchanan and Tyler Greenspahn getting their first career starts -
"Just a lot of hard work by those two. They earned it. They put in the work over the last month to earn their way into the lineup. It showed up in their play the last couple of days. We can't be happy with that and now need to transfer that focus to the tournament and finding there comfort zone to continue their progress."
Hear from Jack Buchanan –
"It's the first college event, that I've made the travel team for, so that's pretty cool. It's going to be a special one; I've played the first two events as an individual, so I am hoping that is going to help with preparation and mindset moving forward.
Hear from Tyler Greenspahn –
"I was in the first event as an individual, I didn't qualify in the second event. I ended up playing well in this qualifying, so I am super pumped to go play Trinity Forest in Dallas."
Hear from Jack Jerge –
"New tournament, new opportunity. I didn't play my best in the tournament in New Mexico but got some good work in these last few weeks and played a really solid round today. Hopefully I can carry that momentum into the tournament."
Hear from Antonio Safa –
"Play one shot at a time and be mindful of some of the shots out there: every shot counts. I've been working really hard, so I just need to trust that what I've been doing."
FOLLOW THE TROJANS
For more information on the USC men's golf team, a complete schedule, and results, please visit USCTrojans.com. Fans of the Trojans can follow the team on Instagram and on X @USCMensGolf.
COMPETITIVE SLATE (15): Furman, San Francisco, UTSA, *SMU, UTRGV, UTA, Louisiana Lafayette, Rice, Louisiana Tech, LMU, North Texas, NC State, UNLV, Abilene Christian, USC
*Host School
WHERE: Trinity Forest G.C. – Dallas, Texas (Par 72, 7,617 yards).
WHEN: The three-day event will begin Sunday, Oct. 6, the second round will be held on Monday, Oct. 7. The third round will be played on Tuesday, Oct. 8.
LIVE SCORING: Live results can be found on Scoreboard (Clippd) here.
LINEUP: Antonio Safa
Through two tournaments, Safa sits No. 1 in most categories for the Trojans as he finished second on the squad in the Southern Dunes Invitational and first at the William H. Tucker Invitational. The junior missed a top-25 finish by one stroke last tournament as he was tied for 26th at four-over par. Through two tournaments, Safa is tied for team lead in stroke average at 71.83, and rounds of par or better (4) and leads the Trojans in birdies (23).
Gavin Aurilia
Aurilia opened the season in career-defining fashion, setting his single-round career best (65) and posting his best career tournament finish (runner-up) at the Southern Dunes Invitational. The senior had a challenging second tournament as he tied for 54th with teammates Jerge and Dominguez. Aurilia still ranks first or is tied with his teammates for first in several categories: stroke average (71.83), rounds in the 60s (two), and top ten finishes (one).
Jack Jerge
Jerge continues to move up the lineup in his third career start for USC. Jerge finished third in the lineup at the last two tournaments and has been a consistent performer for the Trojans. The sophomore is tied for the lead in rounds of par or better at four and has a stroke average of 72.50.
Jack Buchanan
Buchanan is one of two freshmen competing for the first time in the lineup, as he served as an individual competitor at the last two tournaments. Buchanan finished 31st at the Southern Dunes Invitational and tied for 66th at the William H. Tucker Invitational. He has a stroke average of 73.83 through two events and has produced a round under par twice.
Tyler Greenspahn
Greenspahn will make his first start in the lineup alongside Buchanan, and this will be his second tournament this season. Greenspahn did not travel for the William H. Tucker Invitational but served as an individual competitor at the Southern Dunes Invitational. During that event, he was the top individual amongst the three USC sent, as he was tied for 24th with teammate Nicolas Dominguez.
QUOTABLE:
Hear from head coach Mark Hankins -
"We didn't perform up to our ability last week at New Mexico so we concentrated on competition this week, had a pre-qualifier and a qualifier to get these guys ready. We played golf courses similar to the tournament course and will be ready to post some competitive scores this week individually and as a team. When you get there its about adapting to the golf course, trying to figure out exactly what's going to help us post good scores. Our team depth is a strength, they have to play well to stay in the lineup and we are excited to have another great event this week to improve on our last outing."
On Jack Buchanan and Tyler Greenspahn getting their first career starts -
"Just a lot of hard work by those two. They earned it. They put in the work over the last month to earn their way into the lineup. It showed up in their play the last couple of days. We can't be happy with that and now need to transfer that focus to the tournament and finding there comfort zone to continue their progress."
Hear from Jack Buchanan –
"It's the first college event, that I've made the travel team for, so that's pretty cool. It's going to be a special one; I've played the first two events as an individual, so I am hoping that is going to help with preparation and mindset moving forward.
Hear from Tyler Greenspahn –
"I was in the first event as an individual, I didn't qualify in the second event. I ended up playing well in this qualifying, so I am super pumped to go play Trinity Forest in Dallas."
Hear from Jack Jerge –
"New tournament, new opportunity. I didn't play my best in the tournament in New Mexico but got some good work in these last few weeks and played a really solid round today. Hopefully I can carry that momentum into the tournament."
Hear from Antonio Safa –
"Play one shot at a time and be mindful of some of the shots out there: every shot counts. I've been working really hard, so I just need to trust that what I've been doing."
FOLLOW THE TROJANS
For more information on the USC men's golf team, a complete schedule, and results, please visit USCTrojans.com. Fans of the Trojans can follow the team on Instagram and on X @USCMensGolf.
Trojans Live 09.16.24: Gavin Aurilia
Monday, September 16
